The U.S. has formally called out Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, known as the RSF, and their allied militias for committing genocide.
In an X post, US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken noted, “After reviewing the horrifying information of suffering inside Sudan, I have concluded that members of the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan. The United States is committed to pursuing accountability for these atrocities.
To top it off, the U.S. has also slapped sanctions on the RSF’s leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is widely known as Hemedti.
The decision to call the RSF and its leader for genocide after a long period of investigation feels like the intervention Sudan has long been due for.
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The Rapid Support Forces is known to have a very dark history, dating back to the Janjaweed militias that caused so much devastation in Darfur in Sudan.
By sanctioning the RSF, the US is making real efforts to hold people accountable. They’ve imposed sanctions on Hemedti and some of the businesses he’s connected with. These businesses include a network of companies stretching across Sudan, the UAE, and neighboring countries. These sanctions mean freezing assets, barring travel, and basically cutting off assets that have facilitated Hemedti and his allies to succeed while Sudan suffers.
The war in Sudan has been ridiculously brutal. It started in April 2023, and it’s basically a power struggle between the RSF and Sudan’s military. What’s heartbreaking is how civilians have been caught in the crossfire. More than half the population is now facing hunger, and famine has been declared in some areas. It’s a humanitarian crisis on every level.
And The UN has been trying to raise funds for humanitarian aid, but they’re falling short. They asked for $2.7 billion and barely got half of that, which is frustrating and somewhat shameful.
So, where do we go from here? It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of something this big and horrifying. But the U.S. making this genocide determination is a big step toward justice and accountability. Maybe it’s also a nudge for other countries to stop turning a blind eye and do something. Because if the world doesn’t act now, what does that say about us? And more importantly, what does it mean for the people in Sudan who are still living this nightmare every single day? We here at Newsgod feel for the victims of these crimes. We hope the intervention of the US deals with the situation in the best way possible.
